Cold War Kids - Robbers & Cowards (2006)

"We Used to Vacation" by Cold War Kids

The discovery and signing of Zee Avi took a winding road.  She ended up on Jack Johnson's Brushfire Records but she was referred to Brushfire through Jack's surfing buddies, the Malloy Brothers.  The Malloys got their big break with the surfing film Thicker Than Water, co-directed with Johnson, then shifted their attention to music videos for the first decade of the millennium.  They worked primarily with rock acts and helped break out a handful of indie hopefuls.  One of those hopefuls was the Cold War Kids for whom the Malloys directed the music video to "Hang Me Up to Dry," a song from their debut album Robbers & Cowards released in 2006 by Downtown Records.

Song by song, Cold War Kids show that they have a knack for the occasional bass hook or guitar riff but then can never turn any of these into a decent song.  The missteps come from a combination of a sound, lacking any complexity, that owes way too much to other better bands; poorly executed "high concepts;" and insufferable lyrics, full of forced anthems, and made grating by Nathan Willett's strained singing voice which veers closer to a baby's wail than to an obnoxious Jack White impression.  The Kids are also attracted to the use of noise as metaphor while lacking the ear for either.  They are a band that have ideas though, but never more than one idea at a time, and if it's a clever idea, it's safe to know you can listen to a better execution of it from someone else.

Here is the discography surrounding Cold War Kids' debut album:

Mulberry Street (2005 EP)

With Our Wallets Full (2005 EP)

Up in Rags (2006 EP)

Up in Rags/With Our Wallets Full (2006 compilation album)

Four Excerpts from Robbers & Cowards (2006 promo disc)

Robbers & Cowards

We Used to Vacation (2006 EP)

Benefit at the District (2006 live EP)

Hang Me Up to Dry (2007 single)

Hospital Beds (2007 single)

OKX: A Tribute to OK Computer (2007 compilation song)

Paste Magazine Sampler 33 (2007 compilation song)

"Hang Me Up to Dry" by Cold War Kids

"Quiet, Please!" by Cold War Kids

Pass the Headphones!!